Gestational Diabetes Archives - Seleniumfacts.com

Selenium supplementation and the possible risk of developing type 2 diabetes, what do we know? This is a complex issue. Many different biological, hormonal, and environmental factors have an effect on the relationship.

Selenium and diabetes interrelationship — Observational evidence points to relevant sex differences in the selenium-diabetes interrelationship. There may be potential harmful effects in men living in selenium-rich areas and in men with high habitual selenium intake. Research shows potential benefits of selenium on diabetes risk in women selenium-deficient areas or in women with low selenium intake.

In a 2024 review, Demircan and a selenium research team headed by Prof Lutz Schomburg, Charité Berlin, investigated the current evidence for a relationship between selenium and type 2 diabetes. Recent evidence points to selenium intake and serum selenium status as relevant factors in the study of type 2 diabetes complications and prognosis.

Two studies based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States have identified selenium intake and serum selenium status, respectively, as associated with the improved survival of type 2 diabetes patients [Demircan 2024]. read more

Lower selenium status during pregnancy means there is a greater risk of developing gestational diabetes [Hamdan 2022; Xu 2022]. Three different selenium biomarkers in early and late pregnancy show a quite strong association of selenium with 1) the risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus and 2) the birth of large for gestational age offspring [Demircan 2022].

Storks on a nest — **Low maternal selenium status is strongly associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes and with an increased risk of large for gestational age offspring.**

The Mayo Clinic defines gestational diabetes as being diagnosed with diabetes for the first time during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes is like other forms of diabetes in that it affects how well the cells use glucose. It causes high blood sugar levels that can affect the mother’s health and the baby’s health [Mayo Clinic 2023]. read more

Milestones in early selenium research

1817 Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius discovers selenium

1957 Biochemist Klaus Schwarz shows that selenium in microscopic amounts has a vital importance for mammalian health

1969 Professor J.T. Rotruck discovers that selenium has a biochemical role as a component of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase

1969 Professors R.J. Shamberger and D.V. Frost report a possible protective effect of selenium against cancer in humans

1973 Professor J.T. Rotruck identifies the enzyme glutathione peroxidase as a selenium-dependent protein

1977 Professor G.N. Schrauzer publishes cancer mortality correlation studies showing an inverse correlation between dietary intakes of selenium and cancer mortality in 27 countries

1988 Professor G.Q Yang summarizes the lessons learned about the selenium-related endemic diseases Keshan disease and Kashin-Beck disease and about the importance of adequate daily selenium intakes

1989 Professor G.G. Duthie publishes evidence for a role of selenium in the prevention of cardiovascular disease

1993 Researcher W.J. Blot publishes the results of the Nutrition Intervention Trials in Linxian, China, showing that supplementation with a combination of selenium and other antioxidants reduces the risk of cancer

1994 Professor G.N. Schrauzer publishes evidence that selenium is important in the maintenance and therapy of HIV-infected patients

1996 Professor Larry Clark publishes the results of a randomized controlled trial – the Nutritional Prevention of Cancer study -- that shows selenium's cancer-protective effects on colon cancer, lung cancer, and prostate cancer

1997 Professor G.F. Combs summarizes the evidence for the protective effects of selenium against cancer

1999 Professor J.E. Oldfield publishes his Selenium World Atlas, mapping areas of selenium deficiency around the world

2000 Researcher O.A. Levander publishes evidence showing an anti-viral effect of selenium

2002 Researcher R. Gärtner shows that supplementation with selenium reduces inflammation in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis

2002 Researcher Margaret Rayman presents the arguments for increasing selenium intakes to realize selenium’s antioxidant and anti-viral and anti-inflammatory effects as well as selenium’s enhancement of immune function and reproductive success.

Tag: Gestational Diabetes

Selenium and Type 2 Diabetes

Selenium Status and the Risk of Gestational Diabetes